[Squeakland] More Squeaking in Illinois at UIUC - April 1st

[Kim Rose]

 From our colleague Kathleen Harness working with UIUC...

Computer Science to Hold Celebration of Women in Computing at UIUC

University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
Contact
Deborah Israel
Department of Computer Science
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
disrael at uiuc.edu
Phone: 217.333.1621
Fax: 217.333.3501

URBANA, IL - The Department of Computer Science at the University of 
Illinois will hold its first "Celebration of Women in Computing" at 
its Siebel Center for Computer Science from April 1 to 3. The event 
consists of computer related activities and speakers for girls and 
women of all ages. The aim is to demonstrate first-hand the sense of 
accomplishment and joy that can come from choosing computer science 
as a college major and career.

The event will feature speakers and a roundtable discussion between U 
of I Women in Computer Science members and WCS members from other 
universities, as well as activities such as deconstructing and 
constructing a computer. According to Cinda Heeren, faculty advisor 
for the Women in Computer Science program at the University, "Young 
women should come away impressed and challenged by what they 
experience at the event, but also get a sense of the joy the women 
receive from their accomplishments."

As part of the celebration, elementary and middle school students are 
invited to participate in an introductory workshop on an exciting new 
programming language called Squeak. Using Squeak, students can make 
media-rich programming projects via a programming interface that 
requires almost no typing skills. Simple drawings can be animated to 
interact with their environments in sophisticated ways, resulting in 
game design projects, animated art, or scientific simulations.

The celebration will also include an awards gala for two WCS 
competitions-"Games 4 Girls" and "Technical Ambassadors." In Games 4 
Girls, a competition sponsored by Electronic Arts, Inc., teams of 
college-age women design computer games specifically targeted at 
middle or high school-age girls. Each member on the first place team 
will receive $1,000, while second- and third-place team members will 
be awarded $500. The Technical Ambassadors competition (TAC), 
sponsored by Microsoft, gives teams of girls in high school, under 
the supervision of a faculty advisor, the chance to work on a 
technical project that will benefit a local not-for-profit 
organization. At the event, members of the top three TAC teams will 
be awarded cash prizes ranging from $100 to $250.

ChicTech, a group of WCS members, visits high schools to stir 
interest in the Technical Ambassadors competition, dispel myths about 
computer science and make girls aware of the diverse opportunities 
within the field.

Jenna Hill, a ChicTech member and administrator of Technical 
Ambassadors, said the event was intended to promote young women 
working together in teams on technical issues and to spark or further 
develop their curiosity.

"We hope that they gain a liking for technology and that they'll 
decide to join us when they go to college," Hill said. "Numbers of 
women in computer science have been declining, and we're trying to 
change that."
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